How to Identify the Braided Hair Large Cent

What It Is

The Braided Hair Large Cent was the final large cent design, struck from 1839 to 1857, when the U.S. Mint switched to the smaller Flying Eagle cent. It represents a refinement of the Coronet-style portrait with a distinctive braided hairstyle.

Obverse Design

Liberty faces left with her hair arranged in a tight braid that coils around the back of her head, secured beneath a coronet inscribed LIBERTY. Thirteen stars surround the portrait, and the date is placed below.

Reverse Design

A wreath, generally shown with agricultural elements such as corn and wheat on later dates, encloses ONE CENT. "UNITED STATES OF AMERICA" wraps around the border, following the format used throughout the large cent series.

Size, Weight, Metal, and Edge

Early Braided Hair cents match other large cents at about 10.89 grams and 28-29mm in diameter, struck in pure copper with a plain edge. Toward the end of the series, in 1856-1857, the diameter was slightly reduced to about 27.5mm as the Mint began transitioning designs and preparing for the smaller-format Flying Eagle cent.

Mint Marks

No mint mark appears on any Braided Hair Large Cent. All were struck at the Philadelphia Mint, as was true for every large cent design.

Telling It Apart From Similar Coins

The braided coil of hair wrapping the back of the head is the clearest distinguishing feature versus the earlier Coronet cent's simpler bun. Because 1839 saw both the tail end of the Coronet style and the introduction of the Braided Hair style in the same year, that date should be checked carefully by examining the hair treatment rather than relying on the date alone. Compared to the small-size Flying Eagle and Indian Head cents that followed in 1857, the Braided Hair cent is dramatically larger and heavier, making size the fastest way to separate the two eras.

Judging Condition

Look at the braid detail behind the head, the leaves of the reverse wreath, and the rims for wear. Because these are the last and often best-produced large cents, many surviving examples show strong strikes, so genuine wear tends to show as smoothing on the cheek, the tip of the coronet, and the highest wreath leaves rather than as a weak strike.

Authenticity Notes

As with other large cents, be alert for cast reproductions showing a grainy texture, soft lettering, or a visible seam near the rim. Because this series was struck in very high numbers across nearly two decades, common dates are widely available in the hobby, so an example that seems unusually scarce or unusual for its date is worth comparing carefully against reference photos of known genuine coins.